About BCSPI

Purchasing that benefits people, planet and community

Purpose

To support local government and institutions to implement social procurement best practices to build community well-being and resilience.

Vision

To improve the health of our communities and the strength of our economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.

Mission

We work with local governments and institutions in British Columbia to build capacity through training, consulting, resources, and support to implement purchasing that achieves community goals.

Are the dollars you spend benefiting your local community?

In British Columbia, local governments and other large purchasers spend billions of dollars each year on goods, services and infrastructure projects. By incorporating social procurement practices this purchasing power could support the local economy, mitigate climate change, contribute to reconciliation, and provide many additional community benefits.

Social procurement is a growing best practice to align their broader policy objectives with their spending to achieve better value for money. The British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI) aims to take this best practice thinking and approach, and help build a more resilient and more inclusive Province.

What is BCSPI?

 

Making public sector procurement manageable and achievable

BCSPI makes social procurement implementation manageable and achievable by adding capacity with templates, the BCSPI Community of Practice, and examples to support the heavy lifting involved in implementing new organizational practices and procedures. By mobilizing their existing spending to create social value, BCSPI members are unlocking the doors to stronger and more resilient local economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.

Making public sector procurement manageable and achievable

BCSPI makes social procurement implementation manageable and achievable by adding capacity with step-by-step coaching, training, templates, and examples to support the heavy lifting involved in implementing new organizational practices and procedures. By mobilizing their existing spending to create social value, BCSPI members are unlocking the doors to stronger and more resilient local economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.

Social procurement

Impact at a Glance

Participating communities
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Member staff trained
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Participants in Social Procurement training and webinars
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Social Procurement spend by members
$ 0 M+
Pilot projects by members
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Annual Impact Report 2022/2023

Read BCSPI’s Annual Impact Report to learn how our members are turning public spending into measurable community benefits. 

Annual Impact Report 2022/2023

Read BCSPI’s Annual Impact Report to learn how our members are turning public spending into measurable community benefits. 

BCSPI governance

BCSPI is an initiative lead by Buy Social Canada, a national social enterprise and social procurement leader. BCSPI has an executive committee made up of representatives from the different member types: municipal governments, regional districts, institutional purchasers, and Crown Corporations. The executive committee meets four times per year to provide advice and recommendations for BCSPI.

BCSPI project delivery team

Tori Williamson

Project Manager, Education and Consulting Lead
Emma Renaerts - BCSPI

EMMA RENAERTS

Communications Manager

Em Woykin-Miller

Project Coordinator
about british columbia social procurement initiative

KRISTI FAIRHOLM MADER

Impact Measurement
about british columbia social procurement initiative

ROBERT FISHER

Impact Measurement
about british columbia social procurement initiative

Rory Kulmala

Procurement Specialist and Coach

Get in touch or sign up to the Buy Social Canada newsletter

For more information about BCSPI membership please visit our membership page or sign up for the Buy Social Canada newsletter below to stay up-to-date on news, resources and events.